Don Eppes
by anomaly16
Summary: Agent Don Eppes is always trying to protect others, what happens when Don loses his life trying to save someone else? R&R!
1. Agent Down

**Summary: **Agent Don Eppes is always trying to protect others, what happens when Don loses his life trying to save someone else?

**Warnings**: character death

**Author's Note**: One of my first fanfics for Numb3rs…how would family/friends react to Don's heroic deed?

**Feedback: **comments and _helpful_ criticism or ideas would be appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Numb3rs or any of the characters involved on the show.

**Don Eppes**

"We need paramedics!" Megan shouted.

"Agent Down! Agent Down!" David radioed in from Don's radio.

Colby jogged back, "How's he doing?" He asked worriedly.

Megan glanced up, "Not so good" she turned back to Don, "Don, I need you to open your eyes. Come on, you can fight this"

Don groaned, but his eyes didn't open.

Just then, paramedics arrived and three hurried to Don's side. "What happened?" One demanded.

"Don got shot three times, his pulse is fading..." Megan trailed off.

"Alright, we need room to work, does he have family you can call?" One asked.

Megan, Colby, and David backed away, allowing the paramedics to work. "Charlie!" Megan gasped.

"And Alan" David added, groaning.

"Call them," The second paramedic said quickly.

The third paramedic loaded Don onto a stretcher and had him in the ambulance.

"Get his family and go to the hospital" The paramedic shouted before the door slammed shut.

"B.P. is 90/160" A paramedic muttered.

"Pulse is dropping! We need more blood!" Another urged.

"This is unit 2. We've got a three GSW patient coming in," The third said into the radio.

"What's his status?" The reply came back immediately.

"Critical. Needs immediate surgery. Get Michaels and Carter on it immediately" He responded.

"Alright, OR will be ready"

The ambulance pulled to a stop in front of the ER entrance, Dr. Michaels and Dr. Carter rushed out, "What's up?" Dr. Carter pressed, helping unload Don.

"Three gunshot wounds, one upper spine, one in the gut, I don't think it hit his liver, and another near the heart. He's got a hell of a lot of eternal bleeding, prognosis isn't good so far" One rattled off as they wheeled him in.

"Alright, well let's get this guy to OR" Michaels stated checking Don's heart rate. "His heart rates falling, does this guy have family?"

"Yeah, the three agents with him are calling them and meeting us here" The first paramedic replied.

"Agent?" Michaels inquired.

"FBI"

"Damn, alright, let's go! A lot will ride on this" Carter shouted.

Don was wheeled into surgery and the door slammed shut.


	2. Making the calls

_**Meanwhile...**_

David slammed his fist against the dashboard, "Where the hell is Alan!" He shouted.

Megan looked at him, helplessly. "Maybe he's at the homeless shelter? He volunteers there a lot. Call his cell," She suggested. David nodded. Megan rubbed his shoulder, "It's going to be fine. Don's going to be okay" She soothed.

David nodded and began to dial again. Colby spoke up, "I'll try Charlie again"

"Hey, Mr. Eppes, this is David Sinclair" David said immediately.

"Charlie, it's Colby" Colby said a second later.

"I'm fine. Listen, there was an accident-" David began.

"Charlie, we need you to meet us at the hospital, Don was shot"

"Don was shot" David finished, after listening to Mr. Eppes.

"We don't know how serious, he was shot three times" Colby continued.

"Three" David said, "Yeah, uh. Two in the front, one in the stomach, one near his heart, and one in his back"

"Listen, Charlie. We need you to meet us at the hospital as soon as possible" Colby said slightly exasperated. Megan noticed and took the phone from Colby.

"Charlie? This is Megan" She paused and listened, then nodded. "I know Charlie, but Don needs you there. Yes, we're on the phone with Alan right now. Alright, see you in a few" She hung up.

"Alright, drive safely, we'll see you soon" David hung up and sighed. "Alan's heading over now."

"So's Charlie, Larry's going to drive him and Amita over" Megan replied.

"Terry" David muttered, bolting up in his seat.

"Terry who?" Megan asked.

"Uh, Terry Lake. Don's old partner, she moved back to D.C. to sort things out with her husband right before you two arrived. They were pretty close" David explained, "I need to call her"

"Good idea" Megan said.

Colby continued driving Don's SUV to the hospital.

David dialed and waited, "Terry? Hey, it's David Sinclair" He said almost immediately. "I'm doing okay, how are you?" He listened, "Good" Then the color drained from his face and he looked at Megan, "Uh, actually Don is the reason I am calling" He listened, "Terry, Don was shot three times. Once in the stomach, once near the heart and once in the back" He listened, "We thought you should know, he was rushed to the hospital just now and should be in surgery right now. I thought you would want to know" He listened then shook his head, "We don't know how serious it is, it didn't look good though" He thought for a moment, "No! You don't have to come all the way down here, I just wanted to let you know what had happened" He insisted, then "Fine. We'll see you as soon as you get here. Yes, the downtown hospital" David hung up. "Well, she's catching the next plane down."

"If they were close Don would want her here" Megan said softly.


	3. Waiting

Colby pulled into the hospital, parked and the three jumped out and rushed in. David raced up to the front desk. He flashed his badge, "Hi. I'm Agent David Sinclair, FBI. One of our agents was brought into the ER a little while ago, Don Eppes, can we go somewhere?" He said hurriedly.

The nurse looked up at the three frazzled faces. "Sure, let me check," She said calmly.

"Thanks" David turned and nodded to the other two.

"Alright, well it looks like Don Eppes is in emergency surgery right now, you can wait outside the operating room if you would like"

"Thank you, we'd like that" Megan said.

"Follow me?" The nurse asked.

"We need to wait for his brother and Father, then can you take us up?" Colby asked.

"Sure" She smiled and sat back down. About five minutes later, David saw Charlie, Larry, Amita and Alan rush in.

Larry, Amita, and I ran in the hospital with Dad, we had met him in the parking lot. I saw David, Colby, and Megan all waiting near the desk. "David!" I called, rushing up to him.

"Charlie, Mr. Eppes, Larry, Amita" David acknowledged.

"Where is he? How's he doing?" Dad asked immediately.

"We're not sure. We were waiting for you two then the nurse is taking us up to where Don is being operated on." Colby stated.

"We're ready" Megan said to the nurse, she nodded and stood. "Follow me" We all began to trial behind her.

"What happened David?" Dad asked on the way up.

"It was a routine interview. Then we found the kids, they were together, and then they ran out. The man pulled a gun, began to aim at the kids, Don ran and blocked the kids, just as the guy fired three shots. Then the guy turned the gun on himself and it was over" David looked at Dad.

"It all happened so fast, under a minute, we were all surprised." Colby offered.

Dad shook his head, "No, I-I'm not blaming you guys. Just wanted to know what happened, that's all"

"Here we are" The nurse said, "Have a seat and the Doctors should be out when they have news for you"

"Thanks" Megan said softly.

"Terry's on her way" David said.

"Terry's coming?" I asked.

"Yeah, she should be here within another couple hours" He said softly.

Dad nodded, "That's good"

We sat in silence, waiting for any news at all. The silence was oppressing and the hospital smell dampened our already leavened spirits. Two and a half hours passed, then Terry rushed in. "I came as soon as I could, is there any news?" She asked out of breath.

Dad stood and hugged her, "It's good to see you again"

"No new news" I said from my seat.

"Hey Terry" David smiled.

"Hey David" She hugged him.

"Terry, this is Colby Granger and Megan Reeves, they're part of Don's team" David said.

"Nice to meet you guys" Terry shook each one of their hands, "I'm Terry Lake"

"Nice to meet you" Colby said.

"Nice to meet you" Megan echoed.

"Hey Charlie" She smiled and walked over.

"Hi Terry" She hugged me and I welcomed it warmly. "Don will be glad to see you again," I said.

She squeezed and released. "Hi Larry, Amita" Terry greeted.

"Hello" The two responded together.

She took a seat and less than 30 minutes later, a doctor emerged.


	4. Don's prognosis

Dad and I jumped up, "Is there a Charlie and Alan Eppes here?" He asked.

"Us" I responded, motioning to Dad and myself.

"I need to speak to you two privately" He retreated back and Dad and I followed him. The door swung shut and I glanced out, I could see the rest through the window in the door.

"How is he?" Dad asked.

"I'm Dr. Michaels, I have been in charge of Don's care along with Dr. Carter, who is still in there. Don is suffering from internal bleeding. Don was shot in the stomach, right above him heart, about an inch above to be exact, and on his spine" Dr. Michaels began, "The bullet to his spine renders him a T4-6, which means if Don makes it, he'll be paralyzed mid chest down"

"Oh my God" Dad muttered and I rubbed his arm for support.

"However, unfortunately that is the least of our problems" Dr. Michaels continued. "We cannot seem to stop the bleeding and Don flatlined about 20 minutes ago, our team is working to breath for him right now, but we need to know what you want done."

"Flatlined?" I asked, too numb to think.

"He lost his pulse" Dr. Michaels clarified.

"Oh my God" Dad cried, I hugged him and could feel the tears mound up in my eyes, but I forced them away. It was my turn to be strong for Dad and for Don.

"I'm sorry" Dr. Michaels said sadly.

"What should we do?" Dad asked.

"Well, we have a few options. We can continue this to see if we can get a pulse for him, put him on life support, or stop"

Dad thought, and then looked at Dr. Michaels, tears in his eyes. "How bad is he right now?"

"Pretty bad. He doesn't have much of a chance, we are surprised he made it this far"

"What's the percentage he'll gain his pulse back and live?" I asked, running some quick calculations in my head.

"Maybe 20" Dr. Michaels replied.

Sounded right, but I didn't want to admit it, "Okay"

"Is he suffering?" Dad asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes" Dr. Michaels replied.

"Well, I don't want him to suffer. Can you keep him alive enough so we can say good-bye?" Dad asked after a long silence.

Dr. Michaels nodded, "No problem, would you two like to go first?"

Dad shook his head, "We need to go let the others know, we'll go last"

"Alright" We walked back into the room.


	5. Saying Goodbye

"What's happening?" David pressed.

"Don lost his pulse 20 minutes ago, the doctors are breathing for him long enough so we can say goodbye," I said, after glancing at Dad who clearly was in no state to do so.

"Two at a time" Dr. Michaels said gently from the door.

"Terry, David, why don't you two go first" Dad said slumping into his seat his head in his hands.

"Alright" The two walked into the room with Dr. Kovach.

We all waited, then 10 minutes later, they emerged. "Colby, Megan, you two go next" I said softly.

They stood silently and walked in. Terry was crying hard now and even David looked like he had been crying. Another ten minutes passed then Megan and Colby emerged. Megan's eyes were red and Colby had a look about him I'd never seen before, his eyes did not sparkle like they usually did.

"Larry, you and Amita go" Dad said.

The two went in for about 5 minutes, then emerged, Amita was crying and Larry was welting up.

"Come on Dad" I said softly. We walked in together and each sat down near Don, Dr. Carter was pushing on Don's chest rhythmically to keep his chest going while a nurse squeezed a bag. Dr. Kovach was sewing up Don's wounds.

"Donny, what have you done now?" Dad asked softly rubbing Don's hand. "I love you so much and I am so proud of you. You've always been a great son and a great brother to Charlie. You really made your Mother and I very proud over the years. You are such a great FBI agent and I couldn't have been prouder. Don, I love you so much and I will miss you so much. Say hi to Mom for us."

Dad looked at me and I nodded, it was my turn. "Hey Don. Funny, you're always trying to protect me...from danger or pain, or anything...you were the one who needed protecting this time." I sighed, and squeezed his arm. "I am so glad you've let me help you on your cases, it means so much to me, I love helping you. You are the best big brother anyone could ask for. You were always protecting me from bullies and bad stuff, but you still helped me get through high school. I'd like to thank you for that. You are a great FBI agent and anyone was lucky to be able to work with you. I love you so much and I am really going to miss you, but I don't want you to be in pain. I love you, Don." I looked at Dad, indicating I was done.

Dad sighed and looked at Don, "Don, I know you're suffering right now and I want you to know, it's okay to let go. We all love you so much and we don't want you to be in pain, so let go. We are all going to miss you so much. Let go Don, go see Mom, and tell her we still miss her. We love you" Dad bent over, hugged Don carefully and kissed him, then I did. I gave Don a gentle hug, making sure to avoid the open wounds and then kissed his forehead.

"You're the best big brother anyone could ask for," I whispered in his ear.

Dad grasped his hand while I rested my hand on Don's shoulder, "Okay, you can stop now" Dad said hoarsely to Dr. Carter.

Dr. Carter nodded and stopped compressions; the nurse stopped the bag and removed it.

"Is he gone?" I asked, barely above a whisper. Dad began to shake beside me.

"He's gone, would you like me to call the morgue?" Dr. Michaels asked softly.

"Yes please. Thanks" Dad managed, staring at Don.

"I am so sorry" Dr. Michaels clasped my shoulder softly on his way out.

I can't remember how long we stayed by Don, but when we finally were ready to leave, it was dark out. We walked out and found David, Terry, Amita, Larry, Colby, and Megan sitting in the chairs, all were crying. "Dr. Michaels told us it was over" Terry said when we walked in.

Dad nodded, "We told him it was okay to let go if he was in pain"

David nodded, but no one could find the right words.

"Let's all go home," Dad said miserably.


	6. Keep on living

_**Two days later, the funeral**_

"I would like to bring a very special person up to deliver the eulogy...Charlie Eppes" The pastor moved aside and I stood, taking a deep breath. I walked up and weakly shook his hand.

"Thanks" I said softly. He smiled sympathetically and then moved aside so I could talk. I turned to face the crowd, gripping the lectern with my hands until my knuckles turned white. "Uh, hi. I'm Charlie Eppes. Don..." My voice cracked and I paused, getting my voice under control. "Don was my older brother." I paused to take a deep breath before continuing and looked at Dad, he nodded, tears in his eyes, urging me on silently. "He was a great older brother, he always had the answers. I always looked up to Don and always wanted to please him. Hell, I'd do anything for him, just to help him, or make him happy. I know many of you may already know this, but Don and I graduated high school on the same day" I laughed, "Puts a little strain on the sibling rivalry" That comment got a few laughs and I continued, "But Don was so cool about it, he never once was bitter towards me about it, and he never ever took advantage of my abilities to help him with his homework. He was a great older brother, he protected me from bullies, offered the support whenever I needed it, and always had the best advice, at least in my eyes. Don never broke down, he was always strong and provided the support I needed, he was there for my first day of high school, prom, graduation, my first day of college, when we lost our Mom, and when I was having trouble with a case I was helping him with. Don always looked out for me, he sheltered me from pain and harm that may come during a case, and always tried to prevent me from going dangerous places with him, even when I insisted I had to be there. Most of all, Don trusted me. If I said it was true, he 9.5/10 times believed me and that meant a lot to me. As we were growing up Don always made sure I was involved, he made sure I wasn't always left out of everything, he even involved me in some things that I probably shouldn't have been involved in" I paused, thinking about what to say next, "I remember the first time Don asked for my help on a case. It was a stock fraud case and I was ecstatic to help. I eventually began to help him on almost every case and we grew closer. Don was a great person to know and anyone would have been honored to know or work with him. He was honest, trustworthy, caring, loving, funny, smart, reliable, and most important of all; he cared about whatever he was involved in. He had a...quality about him, I can't explain it. He walked into a room and everyone turned and looked. He lit up each room he was in and when he spoke, people listened. It was amazing to witness. Don lived his life for others, whether it was for others welfare, safety, or comfort, he was always giving. Don never worried about himself and he will truly be missed. Don wouldn't want us to sit here, mourning his death; he would want us to celebrate the lives saved because of the millions of people in the world like Don. If you remember one thing about Don Eppes, remember that he was a great, well respected man who gave his life selflessly for the safety of others." I managed a smile and headed back to my seat, people clapped. As I walked back, the tears began to fall and by the time I reached my seat next to Dad, the tears were rolling.

Dad grasped me in a hug, "That was amazing Charlie, Don would have been proud."

All I could do was nod; I sat numbly as friends went up to tell anecdotes or stories of their encounters with Don. Don's superior agent from Albuquerque spoke, Walt Merrick, his current Assistant Director spoke, Larry Fleinhardt, Amita Ramun, Colby Granger, Megan Reeves, Billy Cooper, his old partner, and David Sinclair all spoke. Even Kim, his ex-fiancé, and Terry Lake spoke for a few moments. With each story, I cried harder until I could barely see, blinded by the tears. Family went up one by one, then, Dad stood to speak.

The room fell silent, "Don was a great person. He was an amazing son, brother, friend, and partner. He was such a great brother to Charlie as the two grew up. He taught Charlie many things and took Charlie under his wing to help him grow and to protect him. He was always athletic growing up; he played baseball and was actually pretty good. He made it to the minor league, but then decided he couldn't get any better. He signed up for the Academy the next day. As scared as his Mother and I were about his new interest, we supported him, and he excelled. He was stationed in Albuquerque, was on Fugitive recovery with Billy Cooper for a while, and that was a hard time for us. We wouldn't hear from him for weeks, sometimes months at a time, but he loved his work, so we dealt with the infrequent calls. Then, Don met a beautiful woman and fell in love with her. Soon after, his Mom got sick, and even though we told him he didn't have to, he moved home, even though he had to leave the woman he loved behind" Dad cleared his voice and glanced at Kim who was smiling. "Er, after the boys' Mother passed away, Don got a job at the L.A. FBI and worked there until his death. He and his team saved many lives and he was in too many dangerous situations than I care to think about" Alan scanned the crowd, "A father's greatest pride is seeing his two sons get along, and I was lucky enough to experience that pride. Don and Charlie began to work on cases together and I couldn't have been happier. Don needed the help, and loved getting it from Charlie, and Charlie loved to help his big brother in any way possible, lucky for Don" Dad turned the speech serious, "Last week Don sacrificed his life to save the life of a little boy and his sister and the lives of the people on his team. Don always gave selflessly and cared deeply for his family and friends. He would never allow something to happen to anyone he cared about it, and he gave his life trying to protect those very people. Let's take this time to remember Don as the man everyone loved, and to celebrate his full life, if only it could have been longer." Dad nodded and left the lectern, and the church broke into applause.

I stood and Dad and I hugged for a long time, each of us crying and holding onto for the support we once found in Don.

The time came for the viewing; people silently walked past Don's coffin and paid their last respects. I walked up after mostly everyone had already been by. He looked good; he was in his black suit, a white dress shirt with barely noticeable blue stripes. He was wearing a black tie and his white undershirt could barely be seen from under his shirt. He had his favorite belt on and his favorite dress shoes. I smiled; he wore this outfit for Mom's funeral. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a picture of the two of us. It was taken right after I had helped Don on the stock fraud case. Don had his arm draped around my shoulder and we bother were smiling. I was wearing an olive green t-shirt with jeans, Don was wearing jeans, a white dress shirt, his sleeves rolled up past his elbows, a trademark of his, and black shoes. Don's gun, cell, and badge could be seen on his belt. I admired the picture for a moment, then carefully put it under Don's folded hands. I stood, memorizing everything about him so I wouldn't forget, and almost jumped when someone placed their hand on my shoulder.

"Charlie, everyone's going outside. Come on" He gently guided me away from Don.

The ceremony ended, and everyone headed outside for refreshments and to mingle. Terry approached me and drew me into a hug, "Charlie, the service was beautiful. Don would have been proud," She said.

"Thanks." I paused, "Terry, he really loved you, you know?"

She smiled, but all she said was, "Oh Charlie, I wish we could have had more time with him. What I would give for just another day" She buried her head in my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her.

"Me too, me too" I murmured back, then smiled, remembering. "Did you know that Don's all time favorite date was pizza in a laundry mat?" I asked softly.

She looked into my eyes, "Our first date? Did he really say that?" She asked.

I nodded, the tears began to welt up again, "He really said that" I promised.

She smiled, "Thanks Charlie, that means a lot to me" She sighed, "I need to go talk to Alan, er your Dad, I'll talk to you later" She gave me a last hug.

"Alright. Take care," I whispered, hugging her briefly before she left.

Everyone drifted by me and I talked to each of them, sharing stories with some, while accepting others grievances silently.

Soon the time came to take the coffin to the cemetery. Only a few people came to the actual burial. Some close family, Terry, David, Colby, Megan, Amita, Larry, Cooper, and Kim were the only people who were not related who came. A priest blessed Don's coffin and the area around it, then we lowered the coffin into the ground.

"So long, Don" I said softly.

Hugs were exchanged, then we all parted ways, Dad and I headed home. I unlocked the front door and entered the deathly silent house. Dad and I wandered into the house and sank down onto the couch. "I can't believe he's gone," I muttered.

Dad gazed at me and placed a loving arm on my shoulder, "Neither can I" He paused, "But Don wouldn't want us to stop our lives and crawl into a hole because of him. If Don was here right now, he'd tell us to go on living..." Dad picked up a picture from the coffee table and the two of us looked at it. It was the picture of the three of us right before Val's wedding this past year. "And that's exactly what we're going to do, we're going to keep on living"


End file.
